Box



2,994,467 BOX Milton C. Evanstein, 79 Beacon St., Worcester, Mass. Original application Aug. 9, 1956, Ser. No. 603,076, now Patent No. 2,874,890, dated Feb. 24, 1959. Divided and this application Dec. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 777,387

, 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-36) This is a division of my prior application Serial No. 603,076, filed August 9, 1956, now Patent No. 2,874,890, and relates to a new and improved folded box particularly of the type made of cardboard, chip board and similar material which is blanked out and folded into box form and having certain types of flaps, folding ears, etc. which are in-folded and secured together for forming the box or box top.

The principal object of the invention resides in the provision of heat-sensitive or pressure sensitive securing means for the flaps or cars, such means being pre-located at certain points and are easily manipulated by the box former and held in the presence of heat or pressure for activating the adhesive, thus providing for securing of the folds of the box together in desired construction and doing away with prior art liquid or fluid adhesives, glue pots, etc.

Other objects of the invention reside in the provision of methods of making boxes of the class described by the use of pre-applied heat or pressure sensitive strips and doing away with prior art liquid adhesive methods of making the boxes and also greatly increasing the speed with which the operator may make the boxes or box tops.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing a blank from which a box according to the present invention may be made;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view showing an end of the box partly folded;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view illustrating the construction in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the box end fully folded;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section on line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section on line 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a modification;

FIG. 8 is a view in front elevation on a reduced scale thereof;

FIG. 9 shows the box of FIG. 7 on a reduced scale, closed and sealed;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a system for closing and sealing boxes according to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9; and

FIG. 11 is a section on line 11-11 of FIG. 10.

By way of illustrating the present invention, a box blank is generally shown at 10. This box blank may be of any shape or dimensions and it may be of many different forms. In the form illustrated, it is cut out at 12, 14 to form ears or small end flaps 16 and 18. The cut-outs 12 and 14 also define the intermediate and elongated main end fiaps for the box which are indicated generally at 20.

The box is scored along lines 22, 24 and 26, and this provides for folding up a pair of strips 28, 28 forming the sides of the box, so that when the ends are folded on score line 24, ears 16 and 18 may be in-folded as shown in FIG. 2 to lie within the area of the end flap portion 30 with the other portion 32 thereof folded over the ears as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.

Ordinarily this type of box has liquid adhesive applied to the flaps and ears by the box former, and of course this requires a certain length of time pots and fluid adhesive which under the best of circum: stances still occasion some splashing and drip.

- The present invention contemplates the provision of a strip of heat or'pressure-sensitive tape secured as at 34,. 34 along the interior aspect of the portion 32 of the end.v flap 20. Thus when the cars 16, 18 are in-turned as in". FIG. 2 and the portion 32 of the end flap 20 is then folded. thereupon as in FIG. 4, this adhesive tape will be applied:

not only directly to the inner aspects of the ears 16, 18 but also to the portion 30 of the end flap 20, which portion is exposed between the cars 16 and 18 as in FIG. 2.

With the operator holding the parts as they appear in FIG. 4, it is then necessary merely to apply heat for a very short interval of time as by means of a heated fixture, induction heat, or the like in order to completely secure the box end in the completed FIG. 4 condition. This clearly does away with all mess occasioned by glue pots, etc., and it also greatly speeds up the time required for the operation.

In order to provide easy application of heat to the heat-sensitive tape, there are provided a series of apertures 36 in the material of the box forming the portion 32 of the end flap 20. With the box as shown in FIG. 4 and with a heated member applied to the interior of the folded end flap, the heat will proceed directly through the portion 32 because of the apertures, and by this means will form very securely adhered portions at the areas of the apertures. As shown, two of these apertures are located to secure the portions 32 and 30 together and the other two apertures 36 are positioned to secure portion 32 to the ears 16 and 18. However, if induction heat is used as the heating means, the apertures are not necessary.

Another form of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 10 inclusive wherein an already formed box of any size or shape is generally indicated at 40, and in this case is provided with a cover 42 foldable along a score line 44 and having a closure flap 46. This flap is provided with a heat sensitive or pressure sensitive sealing strip 48 at the inside aspect thereof, so that as a series or line of filled boxes 40 are moved along, as for instance by a conveyor belt 50, the covers 42 may be closed by any means such as a slanted bar 52 and then the flaps 46 are positioned against the front wall of the box at 54 by a heated member 58, thus causing adherence of the flap 46 to the front of the box as clearly illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.

A spring 60 biased toward the apertures in order to exert pressure therethrough may be utilized in connection with the heated member 58 so as to extend through the apertures and exert pressure on the tape, thus applying heat directly thereto.

In this case also, the flaps may be provided with a series of apertures 56 for quick and easy transfer of the heat through the flap to the heat-sensitive strip 48 as above described with respect to apertures 36.

It will be seen that this invention provides method and apparatus for the manufacture of new and improved boxes of the class described by which means the boxes are much more quickly and easily assembled both as to boxes having separate tops such as show boxes and boxes having closure flaps such as pastry boxes. It will be clear that the objects of the invention are carried out and provide for making the boxes much faster and without fuss and the invention also contemplates closing and sealing the boxes without the use of glue pots or fluid adhesives of any kind.

It is to be noted that in the theory of operation of the present invention, either pressure sensitive or heat sensitive adhesives may be used, and therefore these two difto be held while the adhesive dries, and it also requires the use of glue.

3 iere'ntkinds of adhesives are to be taken as" equivalents; both heat and pressure sensitive adhesives being of a dry nature when applied .to, containers vas above described.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, 1, do not wish to be limited .to" the details'herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forthin' the claim, but what I claim is:

A folded box comprising a folded main body contained portion and a flap, and heat-sensitive dry adhesive tape on theflap at the inside aspect thereof and apertures in the flap exposing portions of the heat-sensitive adhesive tape to the exterior when the flap is folded over a portion o'f'the' box in box-closing position.

References Cited in th'e'file of thiS" patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Snyder Nov. 17, 1936 Swift Ian. 5, 1937 Hothersall Jan. 16, 1940 Guye'r July 15, 1941 Miller June 19-, 1951 Zinn Nov. 20, 1951 Fischer et a1 May 4, 1954 Silverman et a1 Jan. 22, 1957 Mc'F-arland Nov. 11, 1958 Kindseth Aug. 11, 1959 

